Check out the latest MidCity DC Article
by OLD CITY green Managers Sarah McLaughlin and Jesse Wyner!
Click here to read!

Check out Frank’s latest article in MIDCITY DC!

It’s titled “A Story of Mythical Proportions”

Click Here to Read!

Check out Frank Asher’s
(Owner of OLD CITY green)
latest article in MidCity DC!

Check it out HERE!

Check out Frank’s newest article:
“The Birds and the Bees”
In the MidCity DC paper!

Click Here to View

The Urban Way

By Frank Asher

Featured in the April edition of the  Mid City DC magazine

To all urban gardeners:

To those of you who have small balconies, or tiny enclosed spaces outside with very little or no soil, yet you bring in containers and pots of all shapes and sizes to hold your plants, I say, “Thank you”!

To you folks who create a little green space on your windowsill with a few herbs, or you put a potted plant in the dark corner of your bedroom, I salute you!

All of you are a unique breed. If you are anything like me, you just have to have some green living things in your environment.  I am grateful there are people who like to tend to plants. With all that is being torn apart, it is nice to remember there are people who nurture life.

Container Collage

The great thing about container gardening for the beginner is there are only a handful of easy rules to consider for successful plantings.

1)      Know your sun requirements.

2)      Know your watering requirements.

3)      Be consistent in tending to your plant’s needs. ( It’s sort of like having a pet.)

4)      If you don’t know about your plant’s ideal environment, ask a gardener.

There are no rules when it comes to your pots, containers and planters, as long as there is proper drainage and thickness especially if your pots are holding plants outdoors all year round. Containers can match in themes, color, shape, size, or they can be random and eclectic. No holds barred here. This is a chance to just float your boat!!

Simple, traditional terra cotta pots work fine. They are inexpensive and can be easily replaced.

There are some fine planters out there that are lightweight and yet very durable for D.C. winters. Some of these are made from fiberglass and cement. Yes, I said fiberglass and cement. These planters are weather hardy and lightweight compared to full on cement pots. Most are in very modern shapes and very angular. They work well for close corners.

There are also some beautiful glazed pots large and small in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. I say just play here.  Some are frost resistant , which is good. Others may last a few years while some glazed pots are unscathed by our cold snaps and can handle normal wear and tear for years.

Plants Please

For those of you with rooftops with full sun who want to create outdoors spaces, you might want to choose plants that are tolerant of our hot summers.

Trees:  Crepe Myrtle, Fig, Hollywood Juniper.

Woody Shrubs:  Rosemary, Lavender, Service Berry.

Perennials:  Iris, Lily, Spirea, Cone Flower.

Annuals:  Marigolds, Petunias, Celosia.

Vines:  Moon Vine Flowers are wonderful because of their evening fragrance.

Many tropical plants do well in the summer sun:  Hibiscus, Banana and Mandevilla Vine.

Aloe vera does great in full sun. It can be nice to see on any sunny place. And because aloe vera is medicinal, it offers a sense of comfort to your outdoor grillers. (Good for sunburn, too)

Outdoor patios with partial shade can hold a variety of perennials and blooming shrubs.

Azaleas love part sun/part shade. So do many ground covers if you simply want to add various shades of green to an isolated spot.

Summer annuals like Begonias and Impatiens do well when mixed with Hostas and Ajuga.

One thing to remember: If your enclosed space is surrounded by a fence or a wall connected to your neighbor, you are in another “sub culture.“  Your space’s temperatures will be different and most likely warmer or cooler than predicted weather.

Outdoors Overnight

What’s amazing about time and the seasons is that once the warmer weather begins, folks are more than ready to take advantage of it. Wearing flip flops and shorts, and enjoying MOJITOS and BBQs, people spend “chilaxin” time in their outdoor spaces. Speaking of mojitos, why not create your own herb garden for the mixologist or outdoor cook in the family.  Mint can be added to many drinks.  Rosemary, parsley, sage, and thyme are perfect on skewered vegetables with a little extra virgin olive oil or on chicken that needs a bit of “fresh” added.

Let us not forget vegetables! There is nothing like pulling off a tomato or a few peppers fresh off the plant to put in your salad. I don’t know about you, but when I have tended to my tomato plant or pepper plants for months and then pick one to taste, POW! It tastes better than anything I have ever bought in the grocery store. I personally think we need more urban farmers.  (Do you know your farmer?)  Check out Lancaster Farms! OLD CITY green is a host for their weekly CSA delivery of fresh organic vegetables and produce.  www.lancasterfarmfresh.com Tell them OLD CITY green sent you!

Spring Begins with a Step

If you have never potted a plant or had the space outside to play in the dirt, don’t worry. It is simple to exercise your thumb to make it a green one. It may take a few mistakes and a few dead plants to get the flow, but it is easy if you talk to other gardeners and plant lovers.

OLD CITY green has a few of its own gardeners on staff that can answer your questions and give feedback.

Stop in and see what kind of mood you want to create in your outdoor space this season.

Happy Planting and remember: Think Local.

Frank Asher

Owner and Founder of OLD CITY green

Where people and plants come together.

9^th and N Street NW

Fairies’ Crossing:  A landscape and Gardening Co. Est. 2000

To Inspire your Dreamer!

On December 21st, 2010

The Sun will be go through its annual rebirth, and will be absent for the longest of any day.

All in preparation

for the New Year!

It’s Winter Time!

It can be hard to adjust to less light, more sleep, and of course the cold…

But more than selling an assortment of holiday trees, garland, and wreaths;

OLD CITY green is the perfect “oasis” of warmth and company!

And it’s been proven that something as simple as a warm fire can compensate for that lack of sunlight!

So stop by, warm your bones, and say hello, during the darkest but arguably the most special time of the year

This Saturday (November 6^th)

10am – 12pm

We will be planting tulip bulbs along the 9^th St. Tree boxes
We are still in need of volunteers
Those interested in volunteering,
We will meet at OLD CITY green at 9:45am

Attention CSA folks

The CSA delivery has been extended from

December 1^st to December 21^st

Contact Lancaster Farms to sign-up

Do you need help putting your garden to bed for winter?

Call the plant experts

(202) 412 - CITY

Special Announcement

This weekend.
23rd & 24th

OLD CITY green Presents

“The GREEN tag sale!”

All Perennials & Shrubs
50 – 75% OFF!
All Pottery
50% OFF!

The time to plant is NOW!
Don’t miss out!

We also have a large selection of
bulbs, pumpkins, gourds, squash, and pansies…

Act Now: Plan & Plant for Spring

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/garden/27garden.html?emc=eta1

EARTH DAY …. EARTH DAY

2010

I found out about Lisa Caprioglio at last year’s green Festival at the Convention Center.

She knows so much more than me about native plants that I saw it necessary to give her some “web space” to encourage all of us to plant more native plants…

The one thing I always remember when thinking about native plants: What was once native may not be native anymore because our environment has changed. But Lisa has got a few words to help us out.

Lisa Caprioglio, guest blogger

Celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2010.  Go out in your yard and dig up a plant!  Okay, not just any plant.  To be helpful, it has to be an invasive vine, flower, shrub, or tree.

Invasive species are “alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.”  (Presidential executive order 13112, 2/3/99)

You could put on your gloves and tear out your Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). A thorny, dense shrub with attractive green or red leaves all season long, Japanese barberry is easy to grow in a variety of conditions and pests leave it alone.

“But,” you say, “how can this be a weed?  It’s pretty.  Someone bought it and planted it on purpose.  I see this plant all over the city.”  A weed is people’s definition of a plant in a place they don’t want it.  An invasive is nature’s definition of an exotic plant that out-competes native plants and destroys the ecological balance.

In its original ecosystem Japanese barberry has predators, diseases, and climate that keep it in balance with the other plants.  Removed from those checks and balances in the mid-Atlantic region, Japanese barberry becomes invasive.  Birds eat the berries and carry the seeds far from your garden.

Instead, consider a shrub that is native to the mid-Atlantic.  Maple-leaved arrowwood (Viburnum acerifolum) grows 3-6 feet tall, has white flowers in June, berries in the fall, and autumn shades of red.  It tolerates a variety of light conditions.  Or, if you want a thorny shrub and have a sunny spot, try Pasture rose, Rosa carolina.

As an added incentive to do the right thing, bring your dead barberry–roots and all—to Old City Green from April 21st to April 25 and receive a 15% discount on a native replacement shrub.

Remove an invasive plant  to help save your local environment.

When you’re helping to save your local environment, you’re helping to save the planet.

————-

Lisa Caprioglio is the Owner and Garden Designer for Aldertree Garden.

Aldertree Garden specializes in native plant design, installation, and maintenance in the Washington, DC metro area.